April Artist Retrospective: Sidney Gish; Ravyn Lenae

As we start on a new month and this truly, unexplainably terrible Nashville weather seems to be slowly improving, I thought it might be a good opportunity to take a quick look at two artists who are leaving the youth™ movement in music at the moment. Both Ravyn Lenae and Sidney Gish have blessed our ears with some excellent music in the last few months, and exciting things are surely in store for them as they progress and develop their skills. I’m going to limit things to one standout track from each respective project, but both of these releases are great front to back.

Sidney Gish – “Not but for You, Bunny”

(courtesy of https://sidneygish.bandcamp.com/album/no-dogs-allowed)

Back in December, Boston college student Sidney Gish, (who deserves praise just for her extremely wise decision to cover a Yo La Tengo classic) gave us one of the best albums to close out 2017 with No Dogs Allowed. Over its 13 tracks, she offers up a wonderfully diverse collection of indie pop, flitting between a number of gorgeous melodies and some truly unique production. So often, bedroom pop has been taken to convey intimacy at the cost of production value or instrumentation, but Gish’s strength is in how she can deliver songs that both sound personal yet boast impressive arrangements. “Not but for You, Bunny” is one of the best examples of this, and I, for one, cannot stop listening to it.

Ravyn Lenae – “4 Leaf Clover (feat. Steve Lacy)”

(courtesy of https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/12/chicago-pop-singer-ravyn-lenae-announces-crush-ep-shares-lead-single-sticky-stream/)

Chicago-born Ravyn Lenae’s EP, Crush, which came out in February, lets the young singer showcase her considerable skills as an R&B hit-maker. On “4 Leaf Clover” Lenae and fellow young star-in-the-making Steve Lacy combine to give us one of the more vibrant R&B tracks in 2018, with Lenae’s range and strength as a singer on full display in the latter half of the track. Look for her to keep giving us heat in the coming years as her talent is undeniable. That little stretch from 2:20 to 2:35 is one of the most beautiful, infectious pieces of vocal work in recent memory.